She lives!

(from Tamie)

It has been two weeks since a nice man took out my gallbladder, rewired neighboring organs together, and the world's most ambivalent nurse sent me home while I was still vomiting (but that's another story).

I now have a wealth of information to share.

First, try and keep your gallbladder happy. Celebrate your gallbladder! Really, all things internal work best if you two keep the lines of communication open. But if it, like mine, goes on strike, try not to pick Christmas as a target date for its eviction. Because you'll generally feel like death and your husband will still insist that you make the family's annual Tour de Grandparent trip ("All you have to do is make it out to the car, sweetie, and then you can go to bed when we get there.") And on Christmas morning you'll be lying motionless in bed paging the on-call doctor with the one digit you can still move while other people are opening gifts and eating wonderful food. Not exactly a Norman Rockwell portrait, I know.

Second, don't look at your belly button for a long, long time. True, your gallbladder is nowhere near your belly button, but somehow it is intimately involved in the removal process. My dreams of belly dancing have been shattered forever. (Actually, the whole Christmas color scheme worked well with the belly button palate - deep green bruising, red stitches, etc.)

Third, be prepared for changes in your diet. Things that sounded awful before the surgery (say ... hypothetically ... meat ...) will suddenly sound OK. And you will eat them. And your husband will be so giddy that he'll call people, take photos and invite folks out to eat with you so they can observe. Likewise, dietary staples (no-fat, no-whip white mochas with two sweet n low) may now repulse you.

Fourth, recovery takes time. Get that second refill on the narcotics. It's a gift.

I'm doing pretty well now. Tour de Grandparent was really tough (on them, too, I'm sure!) But by the last day, I was feeling almost perky. Here's a photo of Mom, Kendall, me and BeaBea the poodle to prove it. No, we could not find fuzzy Valentine pajamas for BeaBea, much to her chagrin. (Bobby did, however, say he would wear some if I'd buy them.)



Somehow we managed to launch the new Christian Chronicle website as I was having surgery. Seriously, that very day. I suspect it has something to do with the immensely talented Travis Langley and nothing at all to do with me. At any rate, if you haven't checked it out already, please do. We're still unpacking, so to speak, but go ahead and register so you can post comments and be in on the good stuff as it becomes available.

I must also say a big THANK YOU to Bobby, who took excellent care of me while I was so sick before surgery and while I was so sore and sleepy afterward. He would say he just stuck me in bed and ignored me, but in all truth, that was exactly what I wanted. :)